Bryanna,
He's a underground hard rock miner. The mine recycles their water, which goes through minimal filtration and the breathing air is fan driven from the surface. The drills the guys use require water, pressurized air, and rock drill oil. The ingredients in the drill oil is a trade secret, so who knows what's in it beyond a form of petroleum. I suspect the reason for the high rate of dental problems stems from the water being recycled, which is NOT potable. MSHA has in the last year required the mine to provide bottled water for drinking, but the water on surface for showers is recycled too. They just filter out the solids out of the water and send it back through the underground and surface systems. I also suspect the air. Colds spread through the employees faster than kids in a school. Again the air is supplied via ventilation shafts and driven by large fans. Each mining area has what they call vent bag, which is similar to the heating ducts in a house. There are only certain functions they do that requires a ventilation mask, but the filters on those don't capture fine particles. They are mainly to catch dust and smoke.
But on an excellent note....I can report, he hasn't gotten sick yet. He's been back to work for 2 weeks now and not even a sniffle or sneeze! Having the procedure done has definately done wonders.
He goes in Wednesday for another reline. They're getting loose again. This reline lasted almost 2 weeks. I will ask the dentist to draw up a letter for us elaborating on the medical necessity and improvements he is seeing. Got in touch with the eye doctor today and he will call me back with his opinion on when husband should have a new eye exam. I am going to add those pre-op and post-op findings to further support the necessity.
Amy
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Hi Amy,
I am so glad to hear your husband is doing so well! He has had one hell of a journey and hopefully his health will continue to improve 
He should definitely continue with a predominantly soft food diet for a few more weeks. Nothing that requires a lot of chewing because he is susceptible to choking because he is not able to chew his food up in small enough pieces yet. The best way to get the most nutrition out of a soft food diet is to eat home made soups which can contain all sorts of vegetables, chicken or beef which is all soft and easily edible for him .... fruit smoothies with protein powder .... vegetable juicing is rich in antioxidants.... things like that.
May I ask ....what type of mining does he do? Why do so many of the miners have such dental problems?
The insurance is more apt to pay on the claims if the dentists elaborate on his dental issues as they related to his medical problems. Also, their surgical report has to be in detail and state what their findings were during the surgery. Without that information the insurance may just look at the claims as nothing other than routine. Hopefully they provided that information to your insurance company.
Bryanna |